The season has got off to a flying start, and although the defending champions Manchester City sit top of the league, the parity between the rest of the teams has been on full display. Here are our predictions for the upcoming weekend fixtures:
Luton vs West Ham
Newly promoted Luton will be hoping that their first home fixture of the season will kickstart their campaign. A lot has been made of the infrastructure at Kenilworth Road but the tight, compact stadium is going to need to be a real fortress if the Hatters have any chance of staying up.
West Ham have had an excellent start to the season and it seems as if they have spent the funds from Declan Rice’s transfer wisely. Jarrod Bowen has been crucial for the Hammers going forward, while David Moyes has made his side defensively resolute thanks to his back four and the signing of Edson Alvarez.
West Ham certainly have more quality across the pitch than Luton and will have more of the ball than their previous two fixtures, but the scale of the occasion for the home side cannot be underestimated. I expect a cup tie-esque atmosphere with Luton finding way to secure a point.
Score Prediction: Luton 1-1 West Ham
Joe Simpson
Sheffield United vs Everton
In spite of a lack of real Premier League quality throughout the Sheffield United squad, the Blades have given a good account of themselves in their previous two games against Notts Forest and Manchester City. Paul Heckingbottom is maximising the potential of his players and making his side difficult to play through, giving them a chance to stay in games.
Everton meanwhile had their blushes spared in midweek thanks to a late comeback against bottom of League 2 Doncaster. New signing Beto will most likely be given his first taste of Premier League football, while Sean Dyche will be hoping that the likes of Arnaut Danjuma and Demarai Gray can support their new front man. The loss of Alex Iwobi to Fulham however will be a tough one, given the fact that he has been one of their most consistent performers over the last two seasons.
Just three games into the season, this game feels important in the battle against the drop. The Bramall Lane faithful will be expecting a positive result, but I believe Beto will get off the mark in the league and frustrate the home crowd.
Score Prediction: Sheffield United 2-2 Everton
Joe Simpson
Manchester City vs Fulham
Fulham have not started the season in sparkling form but positive results against both Arsenal and Spurs will serve as a good jumping off point. What must be said is that if the rumours of their best player Joao Palhina moving to Munich before friday’s deadline are true then this match is even more of a write off than it was before. Any replacement will have a scorchingly hot baptism of fire up against City who look likely to make it 4 wins from 4 on Saturday.
The Manchester City locomotive should not have much trouble against this Fulham side. While not operating at maximum capacity, Pep’s men possess too many tools in their arsenal to not take all three points this weekend. Whether it’s a last minute winner, 5 goal thrashing or comfortable 2 nil win, I expect them to get the job done.
Score Prediction: Manchester City 2-0 Fulham
Jesse Williams
Burnley vs Tottenham
Burnley have yet to hit the ground running this season, having come up against strong opponents in the form of Manchester City and Aston Villa. Their start does not get any easier however, as Tottenham visit Turf Moor in search of a third consecutive league win, something they did not achieve at all last season.
Ange Postecoglou has steadied the ship excellently after the departure of their talisman Harry Kane to Bayern Munich. After a disappointing loss to Fulham in the League Cup in midweek, Spurs will have the bit between their teeth as they look to get back to winning ways.
Vincent Kompany will be desperate to start earning points and the Turf Moor home advantage will play into his hands. However, Spurs have managed to buy into their manager’s philosophy quickly and should have enough to come back with all three points.
Score Prediction: Burnley 1-3 Tottenham
Joe Simpson
Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest
Stamford Bridge plays host to a game that looks to be going only one way. Chelsea looked back to their best in their victory over Luton. Raheem Sterling appears to have found some of his top form, while Nicolas Jackson is starting to get the goals he was bought in for. It’s been a rocky start to the season, especially with Todd Boehly trying to sign everyone possible including Cole Palmer this week. After a slender victory in the cup, they need a win here to settle the fans.
Nottingham Forest meanwhile are yet to win this season after falling apart against Manchester United and defeat to Burnley in the League Cup. With Brennan Johnson set to join Spurs, there will be a big hole in their goalscoring options. Murillo and Nuno Tavares are smart signings at the back but will likely be not ready for Saturday. Forest have talent in this team, but I expect Chelsea to get through this one. They will have a tougher time than they did against Luton, but Mauricio Pochettino should be smiling at the end of 90 minutes.
Score Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Nottingham Forest
Tom Atkinson
Brentford vs Bournemouth
Having been hugely impressive in the opening weeks of the season, Brentford showed their first signs of missing their top goalscorer Ivan Toney in their derby against Crystal Palace last week. Thomas Frank’s side remain unbeaten however and with Ben Mee back fit they will be optimistic about their chances to pick up points again.
Bournemouth are quite possibly the hardest team in the Premier League to predict thus far. Andoni Iraola’s chaotic style has showed promise, but with injuries to key personnel has meant that the Cherries are lacking necessary bite in midfield.
Brentford forwards Wissa and Mbeumo will be licking their lips at the space left behind the Bournemouth back line. However, the Cherries will be applying extended pressure high up the pitch and if they can strike early, they could set themselves up for their first win of the season. Expect a high octane, high scoring affair here.
Score Prediction: Brentford 4-2 Bournemouth
Joe Simpson
Brighton vs Newcastle
Both of these sides will be looking back at last week’s fixtures wondering where it all went wrong. Brighton had all of the ball against West Ham but could not turn that possession into a cutting edge in front of goal, eventually losing 3-1. Newcastle on the other hand found themselves a goal and a man up against Liverpool, only for Darwin Nunez to stun them at the death.
Roberto De Zerbi and Eddie Howe have deservedly garnered plaudits for their respective coaching styles and this fixture could serve up some of the best football of the weekend. The likes of Isak and Mitoma can change a game single handedly, while Brighton’s style with the ball means that they have multiple goal threats across their midfield and front line.
Eddie Howe will be feeling the pressure more than his counterpart after two losses on the bounce, but you cannot expect Brighton to roll over, especially at home. Newcastle will try and control the game as much as possible but away from home against a possession dominant side, I think they will struggle to come away with a win.
Score Prediction: Brighton 2-2 Newcastle
Joe Simpson
Crystal Palace vs Wolves
Wolves got off the mark last week with an impressive, resolute win late on against Everton last weekend. Crystal Palace meanwhile have enjoyed a steady start to the season, earning a solid point away at Brentford last time out.
Both of these sides lack any real talismanic firepower up top, but have strong ball carriers and tricky players that can get their teams into the final third. Matheus Cunha has impressed for Wolves, while Eberechi Eze is enjoying more responsibility for Palace after the departure of Wilfried Zaha.
I don’t expect this fixture to be a high scoring occasion, but Roy Hodgson has the ability to rely on his defence and get enough out of his attacking options to pick up a win here.
Score Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-0 Wolves
Joe Simpson
Liverpool vs Aston Villa
It’s mad to think that Liverpool versus Aston Villa is such a toss up considering how high and low respectively both sides have been over the last few years. Liverpool should be flying high after their spirited 10-man win away to Newcastle but a raft of injuries and a Virgil Van Dijk suspension has left the Reds light in multiple areas.
Villa have also started the season well with 16 goals in their first five games to prove that. New signings like Diaby and Tielemans have hit the ground running and Unai Emery has a tried and tested formula for big games.
Despite being at home, a sense of uncertainty clouds Liverpool and that’s not just down to missing players. However, if there’s one guarantee Liverpool have it’s the firepower at their disposal and up against what has shown to be a vulnerable Villa defence, their attacking prowess should just tip the scale in their favour.
Score Prediction: Liverpool 3-2 Aston Villa
Jesse Williams
Arsenal vs Manchester United
This game is considered to be one of the Premier League’s biggest rivalries historically. After a few years of disappointing games, we got some tasty fixtures last year with both sides securing victories. The Gunners dropped points against Fulham with Aaron Ramsdale’s abilities once again being called into question. Dropping points against 10 men was very disappointing and despite having plenty of talent, they have failed to impress so far.
Manchester United have been in absolute chaos on all fronts and didn’t address any worries against Nottingham Forest. After some poor defending, United came back and it was a show of strength. Bruno Fernandes has continued to shine in midfield, but an injury to Raphaël Varane adds to the list of unavailable players. Rasmus Højlund appears to be ready for some involvement and he could be crucial to the result. This sees a clash between two teams finding their feet who are very evenly matched. I am expecting a cracking fixture.
Score Prediction: Arsenal 2-2 Manchester United
Tom Atkinson
